i cant boil my eggs!?

Question

every time i try, they dont come out right... either not done, or too done!! can someone please help me feel like less of a fool! do i put the eggs in hot or cold water before i put them on the stove? how long do i boil them? how long do i let them sit? thanks in advance for any help!

Answer 1

The secret to perfect hard-boiled eggs: do NOT use fresh eggs!

Seriously. The fresher the eggs are, the less success you'll have hard-boiling them. That's because after a couple of weeks, the membrane lining the inside of the eggshell begins to fall away from the shell wall...the eggshell allows air to pass through it, and the egg actually "dries out" slightly. As a result, the eggs (when boiled) come out perfect, and the shell peels off easily. The white of the egg doesn't get shredded.

When you're hard-boiling eggs, just follow this plan every time (it works whether you're cooking 2 eggs or 20):
Put the eggs in a pot, large enough so the eggs aren't "stacked" on each other. Fill with enough cold tap water to cover the eggs by an inch. Add a splash (a tablespoon or so) of vinegar to the water, and put the pot over medium-high heat (don't use the highest heat setting...the heat from the bottom of the pan can crack the eggs). Do NOT cover the pot at this point, but have the pot-lid handy. Allow the water to come to a full boil. When it does boil, put the lid on the pot (make sure it's a tight-fitting lid--that's important), and REMOVE the pot from the heat. Put it on one of the cold burners on the stove, or put it on a folded towel on the countertop. Let it sit there, and do not disturb it, for exactly eighteen (18) minutes.

Afterward, run cold water directly into the pot, letting the water overflow out of the pot, for a few minutes, until the eggs have cooled enough to handle. For best results, peel the eggs right away.


BTW, you can approximate how fresh your eggs are (and how well they'll hard-boil) by putting them in water. Make sure the water is cold (you don't want to partially-cook any eggs), and also make sure there's enough water to cover the eggs by a couple of inches. If an egg lays on it's side (under the water), then it's really fresh. If the wide end of the egg bobs up, then the egg is a little older, and ideal for hard-boiling. If the egg floats completely (no part of the egg touches bottom), it's old, nasty, and possibly stinky. Get rid of it!

Answer 2

You can make good boiled eggs! Put the eggs in cold water, careful not to break any eggs, let eggs cook till boiling, then turn off the stove and cover with a lid for 10 minutes. Eggs will be golden and delicious. Happy Egg Cookingand Eating!

Answer 3

Put the desired amount of eggs in a sauce pan, large enough to accommodate the eggs. Then add cold water & once they start to boil, turn them down a little so they aren't boiling too hard. Set the timer for ten minutes. Once the timer goes off, immediately run cold water in the pan of eggs. I leave my eggs in the pan of cold water & peel immediately. The shells will come off easily.

Answer 4

Start the eggs in cold water that is an inch above the eggs and bring to a boil. Starting them in cold water will keep them from cracking. Once the water has started boiling, let them boil 10-15 minutes.

Take them out of the water and run cold water over them to stop the cooking action. If you're going to use them right away, peel them as soon as you're able to comfortably handle them. They peel much easier when they've just been cooked than when they've been refrigerated.

Answer 5

I put them in a pan and cover them with cold water and then bring them to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes. Drain and cover with cold water and let them sit about 10-15 minutes. I don't have problems with cracking really. I always put one extra egg in the pan just in case.

Answer 6

As you can see, there are a lot of differents times that people will give you. The quickest and easiest way to know when you eggs are done, about 5 minutes minutes or so after you start boiling them and about every 2-3 minutes after that, check them. All that you have to do, and this is so easy, is take one egg out of the water, and roll at a med speed across your counter or table. If it lobs, they are not done, if it is a solid roll, they are done.

Answer 7

I like the quick and easy method. Put cold water and eggs in pan. Cook 12 minutes when water starts to boil. Drain and cool with cold water. This works for me.

Answer 8

I boil the water first, then put in the eggs.
To easiest make sure that the eggs doesn't crack, make sure they are room temperature. I rarely have problems with them cracking :)

7 minutes for soft boiled and 10 minutes for hard boiled.

Then pour away the water.
Can cool them a bit by showering the eggs with cold water, but that's up to you.

Answer 9

Put them in cold water...Otherwise they will crack...as soon as they start to boil set the timer for 3 minutes for soft boiled and 5 minutes for hard boiled...Voila!...{I use x-large size so if you are using small knock off 30 seconds.
Of course don't forget to give them a cold bath after or they will keep cooking. Not for long...just a minute or 2 is fine...Just long enough to make your toast!

Answer 10

to boil eggs i usually start out with the eggs already in the water, so i dont crack the eggs when putting them in... i let it boil and when the eggs float their ready... but i would reccommend you wait a couple of minutes after just to make sure their done.